Founding Farmers Awarded LEED(R) Gold Certification

WASHINGTON, DC, Apr 07 (MARKET WIRE) --
Vucurevich Simons Advisory Group (VSAG) announces the official
Certification Ceremony and press conference for the LEED Gold
certification of of Founding Farmers restaurant by the U.S. Green
Building Council (USGBC). The event will be held on Wednesday, April 22,
Earth Day, in the restaurant at 1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, just three
blocks from the White House.

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Time: Gathering: 9:45am EST, formal remarks begin at 10:00am

Invited Guests: Washington, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, representatives from
USGBC and the White House Office of Green Initiatives.

Media RSVP: sarah@spinLLC.com

Founding Farmers is the first Certified restaurant in the District of
Columbia, and the first LEED Gold full-service, upscale-casual restaurant
in the United States. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
is the USGBC's rating system for designing and constructing the world's
greenest, most energy efficient, and high performing buildings and
interior spaces. LEED for Commercial Interiors certifies high-performance
green interiors that are healthy, productive places to work; are less
costly to operate and maintain; and have a reduced environmental
footprint.

"We have set a new benchmark for restaurants that seek to be more
environmentally friendly with LEED Gold certification of Founding
Farmers," said Dan Simons, Principal of Vucurevich Simons Advisory Group,
the management and operations company for the restaurant. "This is an
important achievement, not only for the hospitality industry, but for the
ownership collective of more than 42,000 American family farmers whose
food we bring directly to Founding Farmers," added fellow VSAG Principal
Michael Vucurevich, former Executive Vice President of The Cheesecake
Factory.

The restaurant was designed to achieve LEED certification by award-winning
Washington, DC-based CORE architecture + design through energy use,
lighting, water and sustainable materials, as well as by incorporating a
variety of other sustainable strategies such as low-VOC paints and LED
lighting.

"The certification of Founding Farmers is a prime example of how, through
buildings, human systems integrate with natural systems," said Rick
Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council.
"The LEED credits are designed to address environmental, social and
economic imperatives, and Founding Farmers should be commended for
striking that dynamic balance with each meal they serve."

LEED certification of Founding Farmers was based on a number of green
design and construction features that positively impact the project and
the community, including:

-- Energy Star Appliances for over 80% of all eligible appliances (by
rated power). These include freezers, refrigerators, dish machines,
cooking appliances and 4 LCD televisions.
-- HVAC System - higher efficiency exceeding the Advanced Buildings
Energy Benchmark, with CO2 sensors throughout the restaurant to monitor
indoor air quality.
-- Green Power - purchase of green power credits for 50% of electricity
consumption.
-- Materials and Finishes - More than 15% of construction materials are
reclaimed, 45% of all materials were manufactured within 500 miles, and 90%
of construction waste was recycled.
-- Plumbing Fixtures & Water - from waterless urinals to low-flow lavs,
Founding Farmers saves at least 192,168 gallons of water per year as
compared to conventional restaurant design.

Founding Farmers also operates as a Certified Green Restaurant(TM),
awarded by the Green Restaurant Association, and utilizes sustainable
agriculture and direct farm sourcing for its menus, making it DC's
Greenest Restaurant.

About Vucurevich Simons Advisory Group

Vucurevich Simons Advisory Group (VSAG) is an industry-leading food
service, restaurant consulting and development firm for restaurants,
hotels, gourmet markets, and other concepts with a food or beverage
component. VSAG Principals Michael Vucurevich and Dan Simons lead an
industry-experienced expert team in Concept Development, Restaurant
Management Contracts, Menu Development, Hands-on Opening Support, and
more. VSAG clients include Choice Hotels International, Founding Farmers,
Quizno's, Marriott International, Firehook Bakery and Coffeehouse,
Marvelous Market, matchbox, and numerous projects in development.
www.vsag.com.

About the U.S. Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a nonprofit membership
organization founded in 1993 whose vision is a sustainable built
environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations,
builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit
organizations. www.usgbc.org.

INQUIRIES:
Jennifer Motruk Loy, SPIN DC
202.302.8229
jennifer@spinLLC.com

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